Heli Askola

• Immigration and citizenship
• Families, ageing and transnational caregiving
• Violence against women and reproductive rights
• Trafficking in human beings and migrant exploitation (incl. 'modern slavery')
• Feminist law reform
• International and comparative law

LAW5465 Migration and Human Rights

LAW1114 Criminal Law 1

LAW4155 International Human Rights

LAW5383 Forced Migration, Refugee Law and Human Rights 

LAW5304 Overview of International Human Rights Law

Heli Askola is an internationally recognised scholar whose research explores the intersections of migration, citizenship and human rights. Her primary research interests lie in examining the practices through which states regulate movement across international borders and manage the incorporation, behaviour and exclusion of migrants, as well as the ways these processes shape the lives of both migrants and citizens.

Heli Askola has written extensively on these issues from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives and across national, regional and international contexts. She maintains a strong interest in: the role of gender in migration and citizenship policies; transnational families and care; freedom of expression and multiculturalism; demographic change; and violence against women. She is also widely known for her critical work on trafficking in human beings, irregular migration and migrant exploitation, including various forms of 'modern slavery'.

She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications in these fields, including her latest monograph Immigration, Citizenship and Insecurity: An Australian Story (Routledge 2025). She has held several visiting research positions and taught across multiple jurisdictions, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Germany, Viet Nam and Finland. She continues to provide legal and policy advice to governments, NGOs and international organisations.